Russia and Belarus will begin joint air force drills on Monday, which have triggered fears in Kyiv and the West that Moscow could use its ally to launch a new ground offensive in Ukraine.

BELARUS DRILLS

* Belarus said its air force drills with Russia that start on Monday are defensive in nature to prepare for possible combat missions, but the move comes as concerns grow that Moscow is pushing Minsk to join the war in Ukraine. * Ukraine has continuously warned of possible attacks from Belarus, but the Kremlin has denied that it has been pressuring Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to take a more active role in the conflict in Ukraine. Minsk has said it will not enter the war.

DNIPRO SURVIVORS

* Ukraine saw little hope of pulling any more survivors from the rubble of an apartment block in the city of Dnipro on Sunday, a day after the building was hit during a major Russian missile attack, with dozens of people expected to have died.

* Thirty people have been confirmed dead so far in destroyed Dnipro apartment block, according to the regional governor's adviser, Natalia Babachenko. Between 30 to 40 people could still be trapped under debris, she said.

* The chances are "minimal" of finding more survivors in the wreckage, the city's mayor told Reuters in an interview.

* Russia's defence ministry said its forces had launched a wave of missile strikes against Ukrainian military and infrastructure sites on Saturday. It did not mention Dnipro as a specific target.

SOLEDAR

* Ukrainian forces are fighting to retain control of Soledar in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said on Sunday, contradicting Russian claims that Moscow's forces had captured the small town.

* Russian President Vladimir Putin said the special military operation - Russia's term for the war - was showing a positive trend.

* Reuters could not verify the accounts.

ARMS, DIPLOMACY

* Britain will send 14 of its Challenger 2 main battle tanks and artillery support to Ukraine, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's office said on Saturday, disregarding criticism from the Russian Embassy.

* Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday the G7 summit he will host in May should demonstrate a strong will to uphold the international order and rule of law after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (Compiled by Shri Navaratnam; Editing by Himani Sarkar)